By Marcus Moloko
At least 18 local government councillors have been targeted and assassinated across KwaZulu-Natal since the 2021 municipal elections, according to a sobering disclosure by the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government.
The statistics were released by KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli following the fatal shooting of eThekwini Municipality Councillor Sibusiso Khwela. Khwela was gunned down directly at his local constituency office in Klaarwater, west of Durban.
The Premier condemned the ongoing bloodbath, asserting that the killings hit at the very heart of South African democracy.
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He said targeting locally elected leaders deeply destabilized municipal government operations and crippled service delivery for vulnerable communities.
According to the official data, the eThekwini metropolitan area remains the deadliest region for public representatives, accounting for five of the fatalities. Multiple assassinations have also stained towns like Newcastle, uMngeni, and Mkhambathini.
The KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team has taken over the investigation into Khwela’s murder, with mounting pressure to apprehend both the gunmen and the masterminds behind the violence.
At least 18 councillors have been assassinated since the 2021 municipal elections.
The municipality’s breakdown of the assassinations is as follows:
- 5 councillors were killed in eThekwini Municipality;
- 2 councillors were killed in uMngeni;
- 2 councillors were killed in Mkhambathini;
- 2 councillors were killed in Newcastle;
- 1 councillor was killed in uMsunduzi;
- 1 councillor was killed in uMzumbe;
- 1 councillor was killed in Endumeni;
- 1 councillor was killed in Abaqulusi;
- 1 councillor was killed in Nongoma;
- 1 councillor was killed in uMvoti; and one councillor was killed in uMhlathuze.
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